The Simple Gift Character Anaylasis
English- The Simple Gift
Billy
Belongs:
• Bendarat- ‘Bendarat is the perfect town. A friendly librarian, a warm McDonalds, luxury train accommodation.’ (p. 39)
• Westfield creek- ‘I learnt all I need to know in books on the banks of Westfield creek, my favourite classroom.’ (p.6)
• In his train carriage 1864- ‘I close the door and make a home in Motel Bendarat.’ (p.28)
• When he reads books in the library at Bendarat- ‘That’s me, on the deserted island of a soft lounge in Bendarat Library.’ (p.24)
• With old bill- ‘I hugged old Bill like I’ve never hugged a man before sure that he’d saved my life. I hugged him in the Main Street with the office workers walking by, and the shopkeepers staring, and the two old laddies at the bus stop… I thanked him once and thanked him a hundred times.’ ( p.172)
• With Catlin- ‘This morning I woke and I knew where I was going for the next few months – to the library to McDonalds to the river and home here to the Hilton – a circuit of plans with Catlin at the centre, and me a badly dressed satellite spinning crazily in her orbit.’ (p. 70)
Doesn’t Belong:
• At his home with his Dad – ‘gave me one hard backhander across the face.’ (p. 15)
• In ‘nowhersville’ – ‘this place has never looked so rundown and beat.’ (p. 4) ‘the rocks bounce and clatter and protest at being left in this damn place.’ (p. 4) ‘each deadbeat no-hoper shithole lonely downtrodden house in Longlands Road Nowhersville.’ (p. 4)
• At school – ‘it’s the only time my school bag has come in handy.’ (p. 2)
• Bendarat library – ‘not like the librarian at home. She hated kids touching books. She ran the perfect library because no-one ever went in there to disturb the books.’ (p.25)
He starts at a place where he has no sense of belonging except for Westfield Creek. He wasn’t able to connect at all in nowhersville. His Dad was horrible the librarian was horrible and he didn’t belong until he got on the train and met Ernie. Ernie was nothing like Billy’s Dad and
Billy
Belongs:
• Bendarat- ‘Bendarat is the perfect town. A friendly librarian, a warm McDonalds, luxury train accommodation.’ (p. 39)
• Westfield creek- ‘I learnt all I need to know in books on the banks of Westfield creek, my favourite classroom.’ (p.6)
• In his train carriage 1864- ‘I close the door and make a home in Motel Bendarat.’ (p.28)
• When he reads books in the library at Bendarat- ‘That’s me, on the deserted island of a soft lounge in Bendarat Library.’ (p.24)
• With old bill- ‘I hugged old Bill like I’ve never hugged a man before sure that he’d saved my life. I hugged him in the Main Street with the office workers walking by, and the shopkeepers staring, and the two old laddies at the bus stop… I thanked him once and thanked him a hundred times.’ ( p.172)
• With Catlin- ‘This morning I woke and I knew where I was going for the next few months – to the library to McDonalds to the river and home here to the Hilton – a circuit of plans with Catlin at the centre, and me a badly dressed satellite spinning crazily in her orbit.’ (p. 70)
Doesn’t Belong:
• At his home with his Dad – ‘gave me one hard backhander across the face.’ (p. 15)
• In ‘nowhersville’ – ‘this place has never looked so rundown and beat.’ (p. 4) ‘the rocks bounce and clatter and protest at being left in this damn place.’ (p. 4) ‘each deadbeat no-hoper shithole lonely downtrodden house in Longlands Road Nowhersville.’ (p. 4)
• At school – ‘it’s the only time my school bag has come in handy.’ (p. 2)
• Bendarat library – ‘not like the librarian at home. She hated kids touching books. She ran the perfect library because no-one ever went in there to disturb the books.’ (p.25)
He starts at a place where he has no sense of belonging except for Westfield Creek. He wasn’t able to connect at all in nowhersville. His Dad was horrible the librarian was horrible and he didn’t belong until he got on the train and met Ernie. Ernie was nothing like Billy’s Dad and